[chuck-users] Using typing keyboard for playing

[Hans Aberg]

On 16 Apr 2009, at 02:33, Kassen wrote:

>> There are problems with using MIDI-patches as they may not be able  
>> to produce intermediate pitches - pitch bends en E12 may also  
>> change tone color.
>
> Yes, I see. Fortunately with ChucK you can implement pitch-bend (if  
> you'd like to use it) in any way you see fit.

There is a MIDI Tuning Standard (MTS) which allows one to set  
frequencies, but it is not widely implemented. And even that ignores  
the problem of scale stretch.

>> Actually, I only played piano accordion. I was led to the diagram  
>> when trying to find something better than the E12 buttons.
>
> Me too, and now, years after I quit, I still have a inclination to  
> want to put musical keyboards vertical on the rare occasions that I  
> play them :¬).

There is the Korg nanoKey which resembles accordion piano keys  
somewhat, and the Roland virtual accordions, but they are a bit ore  
pricey.

Otherwise, the key map was known (in a mirror reversed version) in the  
19th century, by Helmholtz and Bosanquet.

>>> I myself favour the exact opposite in keyboards; a longer key- 
>>> travel with a distinct "click" (like the IBM Model "M"). Odd,  
>>> maybe as I used to play the accordion and still have one stored.
>>
>> There are different styles, but the sensitive firm touch is good  
>> for full-grown accordions when playing rapid music (like Balkan  
>> music).
>>
>> When playing buttons, the hand must be m,ore curved, and one cannot  
>> use much force. So I think more sensitive keys would be better for  
>> that.
>
> Oh, yes, I wouldn't dream of using the style of keyboard I like for  
> typing on a accordion.

Composers use MIDI keyboards for typing when entering the score (into  
programs like Finale and Sibelius).

>>> For your purposes the best tip I could probably give is that the  
>>> "midi" section of the examples also touches on polyphony. I think  
>>> you will benefit from looking at those examples as you are clearly  
>>> after chords.
>>
>> Perhaps, if one can avoid that microtonal tone color problem.
>
> Without pitch-bend I'd still assume you would want your keyboard to  
> be polyphonic. I don't think those examples even go into pitch-bend  
> but I might be mistaken. I meant that those examples will show you  
> how to do voice-cycling which is a rather useful technique as it  
> will avoid "garbage" in ChucK.

Yes, thank you, it will take me some time to get to those examples. On  
keyboards, I think even when playing a single line legato, there will  
be overlap of keys. Once (two decades ago) I had a MIDI synth with  
limited simultaneous notes, and with too few sound generators  
assigned, the audio would be truncated.

   Hans